According to our Old Testament reading for today God gave the prophet Amos a clear image of judgment.
“This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord said to me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A plumb line.’ Then the Lord said, ‘See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by; the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword’" (Amos 7:7-9).
In order for a wall to be its strongest it must be built with precision. The wall next to which Amos saw the Lord standing had been built with a plumb line, meaning it had been well constructed. This, then, was the expectation that God was setting for the people. Everything they did was to be as straight and true as a well built wall. If all was not as God wished it God’s judgment would come to bear.
That may not sound like a cheery message for Advent, but the truth is unmistakable. To be in relationship with another or to be bound in covenant means that each party expects the other to abide by the terms of the contract. We, then, are not the only ones with expectations these days. As we await the coming reign of God we must strive to live in truth, to “measure up” to the expectations that God has for us. The good news is that by grace God offers a plumb line for us to use. If we allow God to guide us the lives we construct will be all they should be, a blessing to us and to others.
Prayer: Lord, may our lives we straight and true, built according to your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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